Jonty and Tiny
By Colin Tattum on Feb 19, 10 11:09 AM

Between them they clocked up 14 years service at Blues. Yet Damien Johnson and Martin Taylor more often than not divided opinion, or simply didn't register that much with many. Now they have gone, almost typically slipping under the radar with free transfer moves to Plymouth Argyle and Watford respectively. Having spoken to them in the past few days, it was clear that however they were held in the affections at St Andrew's, both left with a heavy heart.

Johnson made his debut on the left wing at Bradford City in March 2002. He was the last of the Steve Bruce promotion-winning signings from that spell. Taylor came in during January 2004, when Blues were riding high. Johnson was all-action, feisty, committed and played most positions without a moan. He also scored Blues first ever Premier League goal from open play at St Andrew's - remember the curler against Leeds United?

Taylor was an elegant centre-half. Not a stopper (although he firmed up in the promotion season of 2006-07), and had he been a couple of inches shorter he would probably have been a midfield playmaker, his on-ball ability was that competent.

For me, Johnson always suffered when Blues struggled, or were expected to get promotion, because he didn't have a trick, he couldn't jink past players, he didn't ping a 30-yard pass. I will never forget the back end of the 2005-06 season when he tried, virtually single-handedly, to keep Blues from the drop.

He didn't like some of the players he was alongside - he felt they weren't really arsed, to coin a phrase - and deservedly he was made player-of-the-season.

He deeply regretted flinging the captain's armband and his shirt to the floor at the beginning of the first promotion season when he got stick, and his sending-offs, notably the one at Wigan Athletic, were poor; he could never seem to rid himself of the angry red mist.

But let's remember the Damien Johnson who was prepared to play left-back, left wing, wherever; who carried on to the end of the game despite having his jaw smashed by Albion's Paul Robinson. Johnson cared for the club and he wouldn't suffer fools gladly. He had rucks with Aliou Cisse and Robbie Savage on the training ground and the latter always used to slaughter him for his ability, but privately respected him for who he was and what he brought to the team.

Johnson's back problem - a fragmented disc - hampered his effectivness towards the end of his time at Blues, and he felt he had to move for fear of being left on the shelf in the summer. The way Blues midfield has changed under Alex McLeish - more ball player than warrior - meant that Johnson's time was nigh.

Taylor, for me, always got a bit of a raw deal. Because he wasn't a flash, outpsoken individual, it was easier to leave him out. But when he did play, either in the Premier League or Championship, he was not a liability. Far from it. Kenny Cunningham and Matthew Upson held sway, rightly so, but Taylor hardly let Blues down when he came into the picture.

Like Johnson, he was a quiet, decent bloke who didn't hanker for the limelight. And he was intelligent company. I remember on the 2004 pre-season tour to Germany, when we headed to the former East Germany, I was talking to someone on the coach transfer about the unification and he got his nose up from his book to join in.

Others, like Mario Melchiot, had nicked my laptop and were logging onto a website that, bizarrely, showcased huge chrome and silver spinning wheel rims. Now, where did I park that Hummer?

The Eduardo affair affected Taylor, but he never let it show publicly. When I went to his house to speak to him about it, his wife railed against journalists - mainly in Croatia - who labelled him 'the butcher of Birmingham'. That just wasn't Tiny, was it? But he wasn't a soft touch. He confronted Arsene Wenger in the tunnel after his disgraceful comments post-match.

Johnson and Taylor won't be recalled as the greatest Blues players ever.

But in years down the line perhaps they will be recognised for their longevity, reliability, honesty and being without ego.

Both were honest servants of the club who meant well. And both were underrated, in relation to what they brought to the teams of their time, because of their low key personalities.

"Taylor was an elegant centre-half. Not a stopper (although he firmed up in the promotion season of 2006-07), and had he been a couple of inches shorter he would probably have been a midfield playmaker, his on-ball ability was that competent."

Lobster, where does Tattum get his smack, sibling??

Sink me Panja if it ain't the finest smack known to mankind!

Good riddance to the pair of them, both fuckin useless. How players that bad can make such a living in the game is just wrong.

My kids just asked me what I was laughing at. I just smiled and said "Don't believe everything you see in the paper"

Just a personal opinion, loike, but I actually find it quite insulting to Damien Johnson to bracket him with Martin Taylor.
Taylor cost an astronomical £1.5 million. That's not much for a decent centre-half, so if only he had been a decent centre-half it would have been not much to pay. Bearing in mind how very below average he was, we could go back to Blackburn (even now) and ask for a refund.
Johnson cost us £50,000. Even his fiecest critics would find it difficult to complain at that.
Johnson always tried to do the best with the ability that he had (in a Kevin Keegan sort of way). Taylor always looked like he thought he was a really stylish player, waiting to be recognised as a Beckenbauer kind of defensive genius with an attacking flair. Sadly, he was a lanky stopper, slow, with poor distribution and a turning circle that a double decker bus would be ashamed of.
The reason the two are bracketed together is an accident of timing, with them leaving the club at around the same time.
Of course, because of Arsene Wenger's infamous rant, Taylor received much sympathy (rightly so) from the protective collective that is Blues supporters. Were it not for that Eduardo incident and the aftermath, I find it hard to believe that Taylor would be remembered with such warmth and affection; more likely a mass amazement that we had ever signed such an average player in the first place.
In Johnson's case, he received much derision for his regular red cards and his shirt-throwing tantrum, but probably the aspect of his time at the Blues that did the most harm to his image was the embarrassing detemination of Steve Bruce to include Johnson in his team, no matter what (and usually accompanied by a watery-eyed eulogy). But putting aside the special treatment afforded him by Steve Bruce, the fact is that he gave the Blues excellent service through some very difficult times.
Now, we move on and hopefully it will be a long time before we find ourselves with comparable players turning out for BCFC.

Johnson and Taylor, Attorneys of Flaw.










Seriously though, thanks for your services to BCFC.

I don't hold either of them in any disregard. I blame the man who signed them for purchasing 2 players cleary out of their depth. I do believe of the two, that DJ was the better player. He at least had determination take up for lack of ability, sometimes too much. Taylor, on the other hand was purchased to replace Darren Purse, who's departure at the timewas imminent, to act as cover for Cunningham and Upson. Having witnessed only a few weeks earlier the lanky Taylor get turned inside out by Forsell when we trounced Blackburn 4-0 in the cup, I failed to see what Bruce was prepared to pay £1.5m.

Taylor was allegedly a better ball plaing CD, and that was one area that Cunningham, Upson, Purse ad even Tebily were not particularly good at. But for me, a defender has to be able to defend, if he can do that, any decent passesare a bonus. Taylor for someone so tall was attrocious in the air, a big man, often bullied out of it, unfortunately he wasn't much better on the floor. The only time he looked OK was alongside Martin Latka, who made him look like Beckenbaur. What an awful player he was.

I'm sure both were nice blokes off the field, as footballers go. However, to believe that they were good enough to play for us as long as they did, just showed the ambition and ability of our previous manager and board. I'm pleased for all that both have finally found their level.

I'd like to jump to the defence (ironically something that Tiny couldn't do) to the ex player of the year Damien Johnson, without copying BE's post and putting 'this' after it loike.

Barring the throwing the shirt away episode, I've always rated DJ. The fact he won POTY (Shammy was second) shows how fickle some fans can be.

Yes he was not an expressive ball player fit for the Prem, but we never bought him in as one, and at £50K and a bag of scratchings he was far more effective in his time than many £1m+ players we've had.

So there.